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Government Technology/News
Adm. John Richardson Eyes Information Warfare Tech for Future Navy Warships
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on February 17, 2016
Adm. John Richardson Eyes Information Warfare Tech for Future Navy Warships


John Richardson
John Richardson

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson has said he wants the U.S. Navy‘s future warships to have a modular system design and technology that can support cyber and electronic warfare operations, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

“That platform may last the life of a traditional ship, 25 to 30 years… but we have to make it very much more modular or adaptable to improving technologies,” Richardson was quoted as saying.

He told reporters Monday that he also looks forward to exercising greater oversight of acquisition programs at the Navy in accordance with authority granted under the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act.

Richardson is working with the Defense Department and Congress to identify an approach for the Navy to eliminate bureaucratic acquisition practices and accelerate the process, according to the report.

He added the Navy aims to formalize a system for training its program managers.

Government Technology/News
Reports: ‘Zero Days’ Documentary Highlights US Cyber Strategy Against Iran’s Nuclear Program
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on February 17, 2016
Reports: ‘Zero Days’ Documentary Highlights US Cyber Strategy Against Iran’s Nuclear Program


cyber

A documentary film called “Zero Days” claims that the U.S. has devised a contingency plan to disable Iranian nuclear infrastructure with offensive cyber tools on short notice, Buzz Feed reported Tuesday.

James Ball writes the film, directed by Alex Gibney, reveals a joint U.S.-Israel effort to create the Stuxnet malicious computer worm that allegedly destroyed centrifuges at a uranium enrichment site in Natanz, Iran, as part of U.S.’ broader Nitro Zeus cyber operations.

The U.S. and Israel could independently access the virus’ source code and also used intelligence from British spy agency GCHQ to deploy the worm, the report said.

Buzz Feed saw the documentary ahead of its premiere Wednesday at the Berlin Film Festival and was offered access to some reporting and research materials used in film’s production, Ball noted.

The New York Times reports the U.S.’ Nitro Zeus strategy is aimed at Iranian power grid, communications and air defense assets and created after the signing of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers last summer.

The Obama administration aims to ensure that the country has alternative strategy if the diplomatic effort fails to curb Iran’s nuclear development program, according to the story by David Sanger and Mark Mazzetti.

Sanger and Mazzetti write the U.S. military formulates contingency plans for possible conflicts triggered by regional attacks or rebellions.

Government Technology/News
DARPA Test-Flies Autonomous Quadcopter Platform
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on February 16, 2016
DARPA Test-Flies Autonomous Quadcopter Platform

DARPA QuadropterA team of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency researchers has flown a new multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle to gather data about its capabilities as part of the agency’s Fast Lightweight Autonomy program.

DARPA said Friday it is exploring algorithms under the program in an effort to reduce the amount of UAV processing power, communications and required human intervention as well as to enable small UAV navigation in complex indoor environments.

The agency built an FLA quadcopter drone using a DJI Flamewheel 450 airframe, 12-inch E600 propellers, and a 3DR Pixhawk autopilot module.

The platform – equipped with onboard cameras, a LIDAR, a sonar and inertial measurement units —  flew at an airspeed of 20 meters per second during a flight test held at the Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts.

It also recognized and maneuvered around obstacles autonomously at a slow speed, DARPA noted.

DARPA chose a Draper-Massachusetts Institute of Technology alliance, the University of Pennsylvania and a Scientific Systems–AeroVironment partnership to help build FLA algorithms.

“The challenge for the teams now is to advance the algorithms and onboard computational efficiency to extend the UAVs’ perception range and compensate for the vehicles’ mass to make extremely tight turns and abrupt maneuvers at high speeds,” said Mark Micire, a DARPA program manager.

Acquisition & Procurement/News
DoD Seeks to Raise Awareness on Independent R&D Projects With Proposed Amendment
by Jane Edwards
Published on February 16, 2016
DoD Seeks to Raise Awareness on Independent R&D Projects With Proposed Amendment


research and development RDThe Defense Department has proposed an amendment to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement in an effort to require defense contractors to communicate proposed independent research and development projects to DoD personnel.

DoD said in a notice posted Tuesday on Federal Register the proposed rule aims to increase awareness on the relevance of and opportunities that IR&D investments offer to military personnel.

According to the notice, the government reimburses such investments made by defense companies as allowable costs.

Defense contractors will also be required to inform DoD staff about the outcomes of completed IR&D projects under the proposed rule.

Comments to the proposed rule are due April 18, according to the notice.

Government Technology/News
Ball Aerospace Integrates Northrop Microwave Sounder to Complete NOAA JPSS Satellite
by Ramona Adams
Published on February 16, 2016
Ball Aerospace Integrates Northrop Microwave Sounder to Complete NOAA JPSS Satellite


JPSSThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Joint Polar Satellite System nears its launch after the integration of the fifth and final instrument – Northrop Grumman’s Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder.

NOAA said Thursday JPSS-1 moves closer to its early 2017 launch following ATMS integration.

“Soon, the spacecraft will be prepared for the environmental testing phase which is the next step toward launch,” said JPSS Director Harry Cikanek.

The agency said ATMS will work to predict weather between three and seven days in advance.

NOAA added the instrument aims to give an inside view of clouds, hurricanes and other storms and to provide rainfall rates and snow and ice information.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies serves as the integrator of the JPSS-1 instruments and completed the integration of the first four instruments in April 2015.

Civilian/News
Charles Armstrong Retires as CBP CIO, Led Cloud Transition Effort
by Jay Clemens
Published on February 16, 2016
Charles Armstrong Retires as CBP CIO, Led Cloud Transition Effort


cloudCharles Armstrong has departed the role of chief information officer for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, Fedscoop reported Friday.

Greg Otto writes Armstrong aided the CBP in its effort to transition its applications to the cloud during his seven-year CIO tenure.

Armstrong was previously the assistant commissioner within CBP’s Office of Information and Technology.

Prior to CBP, he served as deputy CIO at the Department of Homeland Security and as a software developer for the U.S. Navy, according to the report.

Phil Landfried will succeed Armstrong as acting CIO, Fedscoop reports.

Armstrong’s retirement follows the departure of Hari Bezwada from government service as CIO of the Army program executive office for information enterprise systems, Federal News Radio reported Monday.

Bezwada previously served as information technology director for the Defense Department’s Pentagon Renovation project, where he was responsible for the modernization of several IT disciplines, Jason Miller reports.

DoD/News
James Thurman: US Army’s Size, Budget Need Reconsideration
by Jane Edwards
Published on February 16, 2016
James Thurman: US Army’s Size, Budget Need Reconsideration


military in trainingRetired U.S. Army Gen. James Thurman has said the U.S. government should reconsider the budget and the number of soldiers the service branch needs, the Army reported Thursday.

Thurman said at a Thursday Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that Russia’s resurgence and other national security challenges the country currently faces also require reconsideration.

C. Todd Lopez writes Thurman, one of the commissioners of the National Commission on the Future of the Army, made the remarks in response to questions about a report that NCFA released last month about the military branch’s structure and policies with regard to the size of the force.

The commission recommended in the report that the Army’s force should not be lower than 980,000 uniformed personnel, Lopez writes.

Thurman noted that the assumptions used to arrive at a decision to reduce the service branch’s budget and draw down the military force are no longer applicable due to dramatic changes in the state of global security.

“We are not out of Afghanistan. We’re probably putting more in,” he added.

Government Technology/News
DHS Project Aims to Facilitate Data Exchanges With Public Safety Personnel Via Public TV Signals
by Jane Edwards
Published on February 16, 2016
DHS Project Aims to Facilitate Data Exchanges With Public Safety Personnel Via Public TV Signals


DHS - ExecutiveMosaicThe first responders group inside the Department of Homeland Security’s science and technology directorate has launched a project that works to share encrypted data and live videos with public safety personnel through public television signals.

DHS said in a release posted Feb. 9 FRG conducted two pilot exercises for the Video Datacasting Project in Chicago and Houston in 2015.

FRG teamed up with SpectraRep, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab and Public Broadcasting Service-related TV stations to carry out the two pilots with the goal to help facilitate data exchanges with first responders and law enforcement officials.

“Datacasting is a broadcasting mechanism capable of one-to-many content delivery which reduces congestion on public safety agencies’ networks,” said Cuong Luu, FRG program manager.

Users of the datacast-based system worked to send and receive images, live videos, files, alerts and other transmissions during the two pilot exercises.

DHS’ S&T directorate has started its search for new pilot locations and partners to conduct further tests on the datacast platform this year.

DoD/News
Mike McCord: DoD Makes Portfolio Adjustments to Cover $22B Funding Shortfall
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on February 16, 2016
Mike McCord: DoD Makes Portfolio Adjustments to Cover $22B Funding Shortfall


Mike McCord
Mike McCord

The Defense Department had to adjust its portfolio of space, ISR and ground and tactical air capabilities to trim nearly $22 billion from its proposed fiscal 2017 budget, DoD Comptroller Mike McCord told Defense News in an interview published Monday.

“It’s kind of looking at the margin of where we think we have a little too much or that we really think progress could be made,” he said to the publication’s editor Vago Muradian.

DoD is seeking a $582.7 billion budget to fund military operations over the next fiscal year.

McCord noted that his office turns to acquisition programs in order to address short-term funding requirements of the department rather than reducing the compensation rate for military personnel.

He added that Defense Secretary Ashton Carter wants the department to think long term across the air, sea, land, space and cyber domains.

Carter is “challenging the military to be, as we know that they are, versatile and agile across every imaginable dimension,” McCord told Defense News.

News
Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan: Air Force Works on Updates to F-35
by Anna Forrester
Published on February 12, 2016
Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan: Air Force Works on Updates to F-35


F-35U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan has said the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program continues to move forward to address current flight restrictions and other challenges, DoD News reported Wednesday.

Lisa Ferdinando writes Bogdan indicated the F-35 development program is scheduled for completion by the latter half of 2017.

“What we’re trying to do right now is work toward that very large $50-plus-billion contract and turn that into a modernization program,” Bogdan told reporters at a roundtable event.

The report said ongoing updates to the Lockheed Martin-built fighter jet include a heavy/light weight switch and a head-restraining device to support pilot safety in case of ejection from the aircraft.

The changes are currently in the test phase and could be in production by the end of 2016, Ferdinando reports.

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